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TITLE: Is Court in Session? AUTHOR: Jerry Lopper CONTACT: jlopper@att.net
COPYRIGHT: ©2002 by Jerry Lopper. All rights reserved
WORD COUNT: 533 FORMAT: This article is formatted to 61 cpl.
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Is Court in Session?
Is your courtroom in session? That is, are you acting as prosecutor, judge, and jury for your fellow humans? Do you evaluate the actions and behaviors of your loved ones, reminding them even silently that they're doing things the "wrong" way? I thought my courtroom was closed, but I was fooled by my mind.
I thought I had ceased judging behaviors of others as right or wrong, but found that I had simply masked the judgments; I covered them up with self-righteous thinking. Avoiding judgment is difficult, a big shift of behavior for many of us. I succeeded, for the most part, in avoiding verbalizing my judgments, but the internal judging continued, and that self-righteous energy transmits to others just as strongly as words.
So now I've renewed my commitment to myself to avoid judging others for what they say, how they say it, and their resulting actions. Why? Judging others is hard work. Judging others is not only hard in terms of effort, it adversely affects one's state of being. The next time you find yourself judging some behavior as right or wrong, stop and take an inventory of your feelings. I think you'll find feelings of tension, defensiveness, superiority, and separation. I think you'll observe your mind at work prosecuting the offense and handing out punishments. Focus on your body. I think you'll notice taut muscles, grim features, and aggressive positioning. Is this what you want for yourself? I don't, yet that's the result of judging.
When you accept what others say and do, without judgment or evaluation, you'll be more peaceful and calm. You'll be able to observe what is without concern or ownership. You'll no longer have to defend your judgment, prosecute your position, and justify your punishment. Life will be easier.
Now, that doesn't mean I can't work to change what is showing up. If it doesn't serve me, I will work to change it. But, that is best done without assigning good or bad to the situation. By fully accepting what shows up as the perfect situation for right now I have more power to change it. Since I have embraced it, it is fully within me, and those things I can change. That's my commitment, knowing full well that God will soon send me ample opportunity to experience my declared state of being. I'm looking forward to it. If you choose to join me, prime yourself to watch your thinking. Be aware of the judgments you make that something is good or bad, right or wrong. Observe your body and your feelings--tension and irritation are sure signs that your courtroom is in session. Maybe it's time to adjourn.
About the author: Jerry Lopper is an author, personal coach, and consultant. Visit http://jlopper.home.att.net and http://www.keen.com/CoachJerry to learn more.